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I had a 1975 Tolly 37 that was re powered from gas in about 1992 with 8.2’s. Never had any problems with the engines and never saw any reason to replace them. I expect they’ll run fine for many years (sold the boat a couple of years ago).

I’m not sure about a 56, but my Defever 49 RPH is maneuverable enough. I moved up from a Tollycraft 37, which is much lighter and more maneuverable. The weight of the Defever and the deep keel make it respond a lot slower. I almost never use rudder for low speed maneuvering. If it’s not...

Mystery solved. Found this never-opened but empty bottle under the sink in the guest head, with a blue mess under it and a tiny hole in the bottom of the bottle. Thanks everybody!

I don’t winterize the water system, so it’s not propylene glycol antifreeze. It’s not steering fluid, I use the Hynautic fluid that is not that color. The stabilizers are well aft of that spot and I can’t think of any other hydraulic lines above that bilge. There is no 2-cycle oil on the boat...

I pumped some holding tank contents overboard and it came out the usual brown color.

So I have discovered a sizable puddle of dark blue liquid in my forward bilge - near the holding tank. It’s roughly the color of toilet bowl cleaner. I can’t think of anything on the boat that could generate that color. I’m not using any chemical in the holding tank that might generate that...

This has not been my experience. I wonder if this is the result of Gulf Coast sunshine. In SE Alaska, Cetol lasts indefinitely if you maintain it, fix damaged spots, and apply a fresh coat or two every year.

You should start by figuring out who owns the submerged land where you want to put your mooring. If it’s the State of Alaska, you might not need a permit: https://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/cdn/pdf/factsheets/generally-allowed-uses.pdf This talks about “personal, non commercial” use, though; I’m not...

This thread is timely because it reminds me that I need to get the kit to rearm my inflatable life jacket. Last trip last summer I was getting off the dinghy when I caught the pull ring on something and was quite startled when my life jacket got very big very fast. It takes a minute to figure...

The 49 has a full displacement hull so you won’t get much over 8 knots. I’ve got 2 Perkins 140 hp engines and cruise at 7.5, top speed a little over 8. I believe the 53 POC has a semi displacement hull so it will have a lot higher top end with enough power.

You might find some helpful information at The Defever Cruisers group. They have a discussion forum for members that can be fairly active. I don’t know the 53 but my Defever 49 RPH is a solid boat. Defevers were made at a few different shipyards.

Yes! I pulled the impeller again and probed the discharge port and it was COMPLETELY stuffed with rubber bits. Cleared them out, rechecked the new heat exchanger to make sure no bits worked their way into it, and I have strong water flow out the exhaust. And no leaks so far. I guess the moral...

I’ve changed the impeller twice. That’s definitely not the problem. The pin is in the slot in the shaft.

Thank you, I will try that once I can get a helper to the boat.

I have a Westerbeke 8.0 BTD generator, which I believe is original equipment in my 1991 boat. Last summer I stupidly ran it with the seacock closed, which chewed up the impeller. The impeller bits clogged the heat exchanger, and when I tried to rod them out I realized the heat exchanger was...

There are some changes that I’m not sure I am able to adapt to. I guess there’s a reason we aren’t meant to live forever.

I have run at night but I’ve since decided it was a really bad idea. A lot of logs are so waterlogged that they float almost entirely underwater, and they can be hard to spot in daylight. I have no idea if Flir would pick one of those up. Radar certainly doesn’t. Those tend to be the biggest...

It’s sometimes said that going up more than 10’ on boat length causes problems. I’d suggest talking to a marine insurance agent early in the process. Not a general purpose insurance agency, and not an insurance company like Geico. If you have trouble getting through to Peter I use Boat Insurance...

Maybe it’s just boating in Alaska, but I can’t imagine a computer making all the decisions you have to make to keep a boat - and the souls on board - safe. Steer around logs in the water, change course because of a whale in the distance that might get too close, speed up to make an anchorage...

No.

I’m not sure about your math. You said “3/8 + 3/16*2 = 3/4.” But it doesn’t work that way. Just because you have a 3/8 hose and two 3/16 hoses leaving the manifold doesn’t mean you need a 3/4 coming in. Even if it did work that way, the capacity of a 3/4” hose is far more than 3/8 plus 3/16 plus...

I don’t know what the extra power of the twin Cats gets you in a displacement hull boat besides a bigger fuel bill and no room in the engine room. I would question the claimed 12 knot top speed of the 1988 boat with the twin Lehmans.

The City & Borough of Juneau is holding a fixed bid auction to sell a couple of charter boats and an old trawler for failure to pay moorage fees (link in the article)...

My first visit to LaConner was in the mid- to late-70’s and I don’t remember this.

It would be hard to resist saying “Bye Bye” back as you passed. Perhaps impossible to resist.